Businessman Greville Wynne is asked by a Russian source to try to help put an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis.Businessman Greville Wynne is asked by a Russian source to try to help put an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis.Businessman Greville Wynne is asked by a Russian source to try to help put an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
- Awards
- 2 nominations
Mariya Mironova
- Vera
- (as Maria Mironova)
David Bark-Jones
- Golf Exec
- (as David Bark Jones)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaScreenwriter Tom O'Connor found out as much as he could about Greville Wynne and Oleg Penkovsky. Their relationship is mentioned in several books but only in fragments. "There's enough to understand the basics," stated O'Connor. "A lot of the events were and remain classified, and so sometimes, finding out what exactly happened was a challenge because there is active misinformation being put out by both sides. People don't necessarily want everything on-the-record."
- GoofsIn a panoramic shot of Moscow, Wynne walks along the embankment opposite the building of the Ministry of Defense. Although it was built in 1951, a late 2014 annex with two-headed eagles on the friezes is visible. In Soviet times, two-headed eagles were a symbol of czarism and under no circumstances could they appear on an official building in the center of Moscow.
- Quotes
Oleg Penkovsky: Greville, we are only two people. But this is how things change.
- Crazy creditsVintage news footage of the real Greville Wynne is shown before the end credits.
- ConnectionsFeatured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Best Movies of 2021 (So Far) (2021)
Featured review
Smooth, assured production, ticking all the right boxes
STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
At the end of the Cold War, despite a placating front, the world is on the brink of catastrophe, as the USSR gains nuclear might, and shows a willingness to use it against the United States. Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze), a concerned dissenter and high ranking member of the Russian army, brings his concerns to the attention of the American government, who appoint Agent Dickie Franks (Angus Wright) and CIA official Emily Donovan (Rachel Brosnahan) to persuade salesman Greville Wynn (Benedict Cumberbatch) to pose as someone interested in doing business with the government, while smuggling out details of the Russian nuclear capability, as the Cuban Missile Crisis looms on the horizon.
After surviving two world wars, within a matter of a few years, the world once again found itself on the brink of annihilation, although out of plain sight of the onlooking world. The Courier is one of a handful of films to highlight this uneasy and uncertain time, along with such films as the 2000 Roger Donaldson effort Thirteen Days. It's certainly ripe for potential for cinematic content, with all the comings and goings that went on against the backdrop of it, and here director Dominic Cooke has secured the story another successful blow.
Cumberbatch carries the film assuredly, playing the role of the genteel English chap plunged in to a situation way above his comfort zone, almost in his sleep, and it's hard to think of anyone who could have been better than him. A strong, solid supporting cast help keep the boat floating, including Ninidze, Brosnahan and Wright. Director Cooke manages to generate a genuine atmosphere and sense of tension, that keep proceedings flowing with a pleasant ease.
With the cinemas back open and running full steam ahead, it's nice to see intelligent, relevant fare like this on the big screen in amongst Fast and the Furious 30 and Marvel's Whatever. ****
At the end of the Cold War, despite a placating front, the world is on the brink of catastrophe, as the USSR gains nuclear might, and shows a willingness to use it against the United States. Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze), a concerned dissenter and high ranking member of the Russian army, brings his concerns to the attention of the American government, who appoint Agent Dickie Franks (Angus Wright) and CIA official Emily Donovan (Rachel Brosnahan) to persuade salesman Greville Wynn (Benedict Cumberbatch) to pose as someone interested in doing business with the government, while smuggling out details of the Russian nuclear capability, as the Cuban Missile Crisis looms on the horizon.
After surviving two world wars, within a matter of a few years, the world once again found itself on the brink of annihilation, although out of plain sight of the onlooking world. The Courier is one of a handful of films to highlight this uneasy and uncertain time, along with such films as the 2000 Roger Donaldson effort Thirteen Days. It's certainly ripe for potential for cinematic content, with all the comings and goings that went on against the backdrop of it, and here director Dominic Cooke has secured the story another successful blow.
Cumberbatch carries the film assuredly, playing the role of the genteel English chap plunged in to a situation way above his comfort zone, almost in his sleep, and it's hard to think of anyone who could have been better than him. A strong, solid supporting cast help keep the boat floating, including Ninidze, Brosnahan and Wright. Director Cooke manages to generate a genuine atmosphere and sense of tension, that keep proceedings flowing with a pleasant ease.
With the cinemas back open and running full steam ahead, it's nice to see intelligent, relevant fare like this on the big screen in amongst Fast and the Furious 30 and Marvel's Whatever. ****
helpful•231
- wellthatswhatithinkanyway
- Aug 17, 2021
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Ironbark
- Filming locations
- Prague, Czech Republic(USSR scenes)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $6,613,432
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $1,885,829
- Mar 21, 2021
- Gross worldwide
- $26,001,227
- Runtime1 hour 52 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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